Sister Fonua
Gene Banks
- Medium
ca. 2006
Mixed media collage
“Tapa cloth from mulberry bark is traditionally made by women in Tonga and is used during funerals and weddings. It is given as a gift and used for decorations. In earlier times, clothing was made of tapa cloth. The kupesi (pattern) in the work is called ngatu tahina, and it is a commonly used design. This example is nontraditional because an image of a person is included in the design. Traditional, decorated tapa cloth includes images of birds or nature, but never people. My work is a portrait and a journal page of a young sister missionary in Tonga, who shared the Book of Mormon with a nonmember family. The family read the Book of Mormon and believed it to be the true word of God. They accepted baptism. It is a story of the strong faith of the Tongan people.”